San Antonio Spurs Dynasty

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Did Reggie Jackson Do Something To Tony’s Family?

January 13, 2016 /

Season 49, Game 40
San Antonio 109, Detroit 99
34-6, 2nd in the West

It actually started in the 2nd quarter. In my notes I wrote: “TP going at RJ (Reggie Jackson), mostly for good.”

Every so often you’ll see Parker get really aggressive in specific match-ups, and he’ll just go at that player on the offensive end. In the 2nd quarter, Parker got a couple good looks out of it, but also had a few selfish plays that hurt possessions.

(Photo: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports)

(Photo: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports)

But then that 3rd quarter. Oh my. Parker shot 7 for 7 for 14 points in about 4 minutes of action. His entire arsenal was on display. Blowing by defenders to get to the rim; acrobatic lay-ups in traffic; tear drops; the 18-foot jumper going left. He (literally) could not miss. It felt personal, like he wanted to humiliate Jackson.

Eventually the Pistons put Caldwell-Pope on him, a young player with defensive stopper potential. Didn’t matter. Tony bullied him in the paint for a floater then just blew by him to the rim as the big missed his help assignment.

Parker’s explosion gave the Spurs a cushion, and they needed every one of those fourteen points. The Pistons made a push to start the 4th, getting the lead down to as little as 5 points midway through the final quarter. Again, it was Parker that helped the team separate late, with a little help from Aldridge (who continues to remain red hot shooting) and Manu (who had a fantastic game in his own right).

Who didn’t have a great game? Kawhi. This is the most obvious, but it feels like Kawhi is in a bit of a mini-slump right now. His shot’s not falling, and it seems to have thrown him out of rhythm offensively. He is searching for foul calls and complaining when he doesn’t get them; his passing isn’t as sharp as it was earlier in the season; and it feels like he’s passing up open 3-pointers, and generally choosing the less-efficient option too often.

It also seems to be affecting his defensive performance, as well. He’s not having major defensive breakdowns – he’s way too good for that – but you notice little things: losing his man off the ball a bit too often; getting hung up on screens; and being just a moment late on switches.

Again, there’s nothing major here, and he’s still generally a force for good (though Pop did seem to pull him from the floor tonight in a manner more befitting Danny, as if being punished for his mistakes). A little slump might actually be good for him, in a weird way. It can help him re-focus and examine ways to get even better. Because as good as he’s been, he can be better.

Let’s hope he bounces back quickly, though, because one Mr. LeBron James will be visiting the AT&T Center Thursday night. And we know how he feels about Kawhi guarding him.

A few more thoughts from Tuesday’s win:

• It was quite the experience watching Baynes as the competition. I thought he played pretty well (he actually out-muscled Boban a few times) in general, but you could also see the Spurs’ vets just picking on him. Duncan had a couple post moves that left him flat footed, and Parker and Manu didn’t miss a chance to drive right at him.

• Eventually the Spurs will be punished for starting slow in the 1st quarter. Eventually. I can’t remember how many times I’ve had to write “bench unit saves us again” this season.

• Pop is slowly settling on some rotations. My favorite line-up might be the one after the first set of subs, when Manu, Patty, and Boris come in to play with LaMarcus and Kawhi. That is one fun line-up.

• Another favorite line-up? What some call the “Hall of Fame” lineup. The starters with Manu in for Danny Green.

• Andre Drummond is terrifying to play against. Much like DeAndre Jordan, it feels like the pick and roll alley-oop is there for him on every play. The Spurs did a great job boxing out and rebounding. This was made really clear on one play when Duncan clearly missed a box out and Drummond had an easy put back dunk.

Drummond is also a much worse free throw shooter than DeAndre, if that is possible. (It is.) The Spurs never resorted to intentional fouling, but were happy to just hack him every time he got the ball close to the rim. And it paid off: he only made 1 of 6.

Interestingly, Van Gundy opted to sit him the final 4-5 minutes of the game as the Pistons were mounting a comeback. I can understand up until the 2:00 mark (at which point you can no longer intentionally foul), but I’m not sure why he didn’t bring him back in for the final 2 minutes.

• It feels like Patty’s shot has been off lately, and Jeff McDonald’s tweet confirms:

Patty was 7-26 coming into this game for 2016, and finished the night 1-7. So in six games in the new year, he is shooting 8-33, a frigid 24%. Much like Green’s shot, Patty’s shot is a big difference maker that really opens up the offense, often pushing the Spurs from ‘good’ to ‘great’.

Up next, the Cavs at home on a Thursday night TNT game. This should be a fun one.

Go Spurs Go.

College Football Games Are For Suckers

January 12, 2016 /

Season 49, Game 39
San Antonio 106, Brooklyn 79
33-6, 2nd in the West

Don’t forget about #12.

The way the Spurs have been playing this season–absolutely destroying teams–and the emergence of Kawhi as a bona fide capital-S Superstar, it’s easy to forget that the hope of this season way back when was hung on the biggest free agent signing in club history.

Remember LaMarcus Aldridge? 4-time All-Star, 2nd team All-NBA last season (and 3rd team two other times in his career)? Turns out he’s a pretty good player.

What a luxury to have so many weapons on such a deep team. On any given night, the opposition really has no idea who the offensive focal point will be, where the scoring will come from, or how the Spurs will beat them. They just know they almost assuredly will.

There was some consternation early in the season (including from me) about Aldridge’s transition to the Spurs. At times he seemed to be deferring too much, sometimes disappearing completely. His shot didn’t seem quite there, and he wasn’t entirely comfortable in the system.

Credit to him, he continued to work hard and play his butt off, many games becoming the highest paid “garbage man” in the league. He is a bully around the rim, and has a knack for capturing offensive rebounds and getting cheap points on putbacks.

Monday’s game against the Nets showed us what it can look like when everything comes together for LaMarcus and the Spurs. Right from the tip, you could tell his jumper was on point. The Spurs kept feeding him, and he kept making shots.

The Spurs actually played a fairly lackluster first half, and it was mostly Aldridge’s potent offense that kept the Spurs in the lead. In the second half, the team came out running the offense through Aldridge, but showed some more looks with him in the high post, serving more as the pivot man and facilitator/decision-maker (a role often occupied by Duncan).

With the rest of the team fully engaged in the second half, by the time Aldridge scored his final points (25 in total on 12-17 shooting), the game was all but over.

Like many Spurs games, the team was sluggish and a bit out of sync in the first half. Unlike Spurs teams of the past few years, we now have a big man we can ride for extended periods of time to keep the offense afloat.

A few more thoughts from the Spurs’ victory in Brooklyn:

–Other than Aldridge, the Spurs played a pretty poor first half. The team looked a bit out of sync and discombobulated on offense. Kawhi, in particular, seemed out of sorts. This is the second game in a row I thought he played below his (absurdly high) usual level of performance.

–Thankfully, the defense seemed a lot better this game than over the last few. Opponent is certainly a factor, but the team did seem a bit more locked in on that end.

–Usually when a team fires a coach, you have to worry about the next game, as the players will often play with a renewed energy and vigor. Which the Nets did. But they’re still the Nets. They were just completely outmatched, even with the not-fully-engaged Spurs. What a hopeless situation. Never stop counting your blessings, Spurs fans.

–Boban came in in the second half and put on his usual show for the visiting crowd. Fans just instinctively cheer for him, even on the road. It was his insertion into the game with the second unit that sparked the big run that put the game away in the 3rd quarter. He keeps getting more and more comfortable each time he plays, and he is a legitimate weapon in limited minutes off the bench. He shows well on both ends of the court, and once the ball is in his hands on offense, something good is going to happen.

Not much more to say about this one. The game I’m really interested in on this mini-road trip is Tuesday night in Detroit. Detroit is a good team with some really good players and a great coach. The Spurs should beat them, but this could also be a trap game that they could easily give away, particularly on the second night of a back-to-back. How the team plays in this game can show us a lot about their mentality this season.

Go Spurs Go.

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